Ganzu seethed. His tail twitched in agitation as he crouched on a thick branch, watching the distant glow of Hiro’s campfire flicker through the trees. The memory of their previous humiliation still burned hot in his mind.

  One moment, he had been leading a stealth-perfect raid, and the next, he and his entire squad had woken up strung from the trees like captured prey. He had repyed the events over and over in his mind, but he still couldn’t piece together how it had happened.

  A genjutsu trap, hidden in the webbing. That much was obvious now.

  Ganzu clenched his fists, forcing himself to focus. Tonight would be different.

  He had five monkey ninjas under his command, including himself. He had spent the entire day reworking their infiltration strategy, ensuring that there were multiple contingencies to counter whatever tricks the boy’s spider summon had id out.

  “Pairs at all times,” Ganzu whispered to his team. “If one of us falls into genjutsu, the other dispels them immediately. Move in tandem, keep silent, and stick to the pn.”

  The others nodded. They wouldn’t be embarrassed again.

  The forest was silent as Ganzu’s team advanced under the cover of darkness. Their trained eyes spotted the subtle shimmer of chakra-infused spider silk, crisscrossed high above the trees and low along the forest floor. Clever. But not clever enough.

  They worked in pairs, methodically dispelling the moment one of them faltered under the genjutsu. They slipped past the invisible traps without triggering a single arm.

  Ganzu crouched behind a fallen log, watching as one of his scouts returned. “The perimeter is mapped. We found an opening on the far side.”

  Ganzu smirked. “Perfect. We go underground.”

  With a silent weave of hand seals, he pced a palm against the earth. The ground shifted and softened as a tunnel began forming beneath the camp’s perimeter.

  One of the monkeys crawled forward, emerging from a small opening just behind Hiro’s tent. Silent as the night, he slunk toward the stack of smoked meat near the fire pit.

  As his fingers brushed the top of the pile, he felt a tiny pinprick on his neck.

  He ignored it.

  He reached out again—only for his fingers to refuse to move.

  A sudden wave of numbness spread through his limbs. He let out a startled screech before his body colpsed to the ground, completely paralyzed.

  Ganzu’s eyes widened. “It’s a trap! Go now!”

  The rest of his team burst from the ground, swarming the tent.

  Hiro had been waiting.

  The moment the first monkey screeched, Hiro spun from his sleeping position, grabbing his whip in one hand and his swordbreaker in the other.

  Chūta unched into the air, riding a burst of wind as Yamiha scuttled up the side of the shelter, spinning more of her silk. She had already dispatched the first monkey with a paralytic chakra-enhanced bite from her venomous fangs.

  Ganzu lunged at Hiro, kunai fshing as their weapons cshed. Hiro twisted his wrist, using the serrated edge of his swordbreaker to lock Ganzu’s weapon in pce.

  “Tch—he’s actually good,” Ganzu thought, realizing the boy had proper training in close combat.

  To his left, Chūta dove from the air, releasing a pair of razor-thin wind bdes that sliced toward two of the attacking monkeys. The targets dodged, but the distraction gave Yamiha enough time to ensnare one in a dense chakra-web.

  One down.

  Hiro pivoted, forcing Ganzu back with a series of quick whip strikes, using the flexible weapon to create space. But Ganzu was fast. Too fast.

  “If this kid thinks he can hold me off, he’s got another thing coming.”

  Ganzu twisted his body mid-air, pnting a kick into Hiro’s side. The boy staggered, but didn’t fall.

  Instead, Hiro used the momentum to sh his whip around Ganzu’s wrist.

  Ganzu barely had time to react before Another monkey felt the bite of Yamiha's fangs as she reappeared from the darkness, her venom working quickly to incapacitate him.

  Another monkey dropped.

  Two down.

  Ganzu ripped himself free of the whip, breathing heavily. “This kid… how is he keeping up?”

  Hiro exhaled sharply, eyes focused. “I won’t let you take my supplies.”

  Ganzu’s eyes darted to the remaining members of his team. They were struggling. One was caught in Yamiha’s webs, the other was frantically dodging Chūta’s aerial strikes.

  They were losing.

  Again.

  Ganzu growled. “Not this time!” He surged forward with a burst of speed, aiming to finish Hiro quickly.

  But Hiro was already moving.

  With one swift maneuver, Hiro spun low, hooking Ganzu’s ankle with his whip and yanking. Ganzu hit the ground hard.

  Before he could get back up, Hiro summoned Yamiha onto his back, who then bit him with her venomous fangs.

  A moment of tense silence stretched between them. Ganzu gritted his teeth, his muscles locked in frustration.

  They lost. Again.

  The monkey was colpsed on the ground with his wrist and ankles tied up in web. Chūta had an outstretched paw against the monkey's throat as he gave a silent warning to what predicament he was now in.

  They were outmatched.

  Hiro stepped forward, breathing heavy but standing tall. “I think you should surrender now.”

  Ganzu stared at him, weighing his pride against reality.

  He growled. “Fine.”

  Yamiha leapt off of him, and the other monkeys were released from their bindings.

  Ganzu sat up, rubbing his sore wrist. This kid… he was something else.

  Hiro extended a hand. “You did better this time.”

  Ganzu hesitated before taking it, letting Hiro pull him up. “…Next time, kid. Next time.”

  As the defeated monkey ninjas retreated, Hiro exhaled deeply. They had won.

  But something told him this wouldn’t be the st time he’d have to defend what was his.